blackwater mercenaries massacre

[2] 16,000 volunteers coming to Ukraine, Zelensky: https://www.rt.com/russia/551149-zelensky-ukraine-foreign-fighters/. Everything was eerily quiet. The 14 victims killed by the Blackwater guards on trial were listed as Ahmed Haithem Ahmed Al Rubiay, Mahassin Mohssen Kadhum Al-Khazali, Osama Fadhil Abbas, Ali Mohammed Hafedh Abdul Razzaq, Mohamed Abbas Mahmoud, Qasim Mohamed Abbas Mahmoud, Saadi Ali Abbas Alkarkh, Mushtaq Karim Abd Al-Razzaq, Ghaniyah Hassan Ali, Ibrahim Abid Ayash, Hamoud Saeed Abttan, Uday Ismail Ibrahiem, Mahdi Sahib Nasir and Ali Khalil Abdul Hussein. Four guards fired on unarmed crowd in Baghdad in 2007, killing 14 and sparking outrage over use of private security in war zones. Its worth recalling that before the Biden-Putin summit at Geneva last June, Russia had a similar troop build-up along Ukraines borders. He lay in the hallway for an hour before he died. Constellis did not immediately respond to requests for comment. When #Blackwater mercenaries were murdering civilians in the #IraqWar, did these voices demand seizure of yachts owned by CEO Erik Prince? Hassan Salman is among the Iraqis who were shot during the ambush. [I]f such a thing happened in America or Britain, would the American president or American citizens accept it? [40], On October 11, 2007, the Center for Constitutional Rights filed suit against Blackwater USA under the Alien Tort Claims Act on behalf of an injured Iraqi and the families of three of the seventeen Iraqis who were killed by Blackwater employees during the September 16, 2007, shooting incident. Of the $10 billion humanitarian and military assistance for Ukraine announced by the Biden administration, the top brass of the Pentagon is reportedly making preparations for allocating a significant portion of the funds for providing military training and arms to almost a million refugees who have fled Ukraine following the war. Ali was the youngest of Blackwaters victims that day. A. [41] Senate Democratic leaders said they planned to pass similar legislation as soon as possible. He was told that he had to go to a neurologic hospital on the other side of Baghdad. The four armored vehicles drove away. "How are these criminals released after they killed 17 innocent people?" I am overwhelmed with emotion at this fantastic news.. These men will now be free, despite their crimes, and they will not serve the time in prison they deserved. The Iraqi government and Iraqi police investigator Faris Saadi Abdul stated that the killings were unprovoked. Iraqi police and Iraqi Army soldiers, mistaking the stun grenades for fragmentation grenades, opened fire at the Blackwater men, to which they responded. The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq increasingly relied on private contractors, Blackwater being only the most infamous. Before VT Nuclear Education: The Beirut Nuclear Coverup, The Hidden History of the Incredibly Evil Khazarian Mafia. Again, I knew my clients would be pleased to know that justice had been served and their rights had been protected. [3][84] Prosecutors stated they reached their decision after an "assessment of the admissible evidence against him". The Intercept is an independent nonprofit news outlet. [37] A senior aide to al-Maliki said that three of the Blackwater guards were Iraqis and could be subject to prosecution. [93], On December 19, 2018, Slatten was found guilty of murder[94] and again was sentenced to life in prison on August 14, 2019. On Tuesday, President Trump pardoned 15 people, including Dustin Heard (from left), Evan Liberty, Nicholas Slatten and Paul Slough, the four former government contractors convicted for a 2007 massacre in Baghdad that left more than a dozen Iraqi civilians dead. [2] Reactions [ edit] That day changed my life forever. He never received treatment. The man that just spoken to him was dead. The hallways were full. ", Trump Grants Slew Of Pardons, Including To George Papadopoulos And Duncan Hunter, Blackwater Guards Found Guilty In 2007 Shootings In Iraq, Lawyer For Victims' Families On Trump Pardoning 4 Former Blackwater Contractors. He was left with shrapnel in his body from the rocket launched grenade that was fired into his vehicle as he escaped. Although the Pentagons military contractors have been known to be training and advising several brigades of neo-Nazis backed by Ukraines security forces in the Donbas region since 2014, Erik Prince along with his associates from several other private security firms providing military contractors to the US Department of Defense personally visited Kyiv early last month following the Russian troop build-up and met with security officials of the Zelensky regime, according to informed sources. Then one of his sisters children said that Ali was hurt. - Asser Institute (Decision Date: 31 December 2009)", "Ex-Blackwater Guards Face Renewed Charges", "Blackwater guards face new U.S. charges for Iraq shooting deaths", "Legal questions loom in Blackwater convictions", "Blackwater guards found guilty in Iraq shootings", "Emails Reveal Discord Over Blackwater Charges", "Ex-Blackwater Guards Sentenced to Long Prison Terms in 2007 Killings of Iraqi Civilians", "U.S. Appeals Court Tosses Ex-Blackwater Guard's Conviction in 2007 Baghdad Massacre", "Murder conviction in Blackwater case thrown out, other sentences overturned", "In Blackwater Case, Court Rejects a Murder Conviction and Voids 3 Sentences", Recent Case: D.C. "Before he died, he went crazy as he used to go out into the street and whenever he saw a young man, he imagined that he was Mahdi," he said. [57], In October 2007, the United Nations released a two-year study that stated that private contractors, although hired as "security guards", were performing military duties. [28] Nicholas Slatten was found guilty of first-degree murder, and Slough, Liberty and Heard were found guilty of voluntary and attempted manslaughter charges, and of using a machine gun to commit a violent crime. Victims were everywhere. Trump issued pardons for all four men on Tuesday. Thats all it takes to support the journalism you rely on. Again, the result was the civil legal system exhausting every defense afforded to Blackwater and the men. When Mohammed looked to his right, the driver of the car next to him shouted that the soldiers had just shot into another car in front of them. [37][38] The incident caused Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to call on the U.S. government to end its contract with Blackwater USA,[39] and for the Iraqi government to push for an apology, compensation for victims or their families and for the guards involved in the shooting to be held "accountable". The report found that the use of contractors such as Blackwater was a "new form of mercenary activity" and illegal under international law; however, the United States is not a signatory of the 1989 UN Mercenary Convention banning the use of mercenaries. "This was the slaughter of innocent civilians who were merely going about their day when a Blackwater convoy rolled through a traffic circle after having violated orders to stand down and not exit the Green Zone and began firing indiscriminately into cars that were carrying people going to work.". Contractor Banned by Iraq Over Shootings", "F.B.I. President Donald Trump pardoned four former Blackwater mercenaries on Tuesday who had been convicted for their role in the Nisour Square massacre that left 14 people dead in Baghdad in 2007. "We've backed off that. Blackwater Mercenaries Filmed on a Rampage in Iraq & Shooting Civilians from WarPosting After being leaked by a former employee of the notorious PMC, the footage dated April 2006 was featured in a piece called "The Warrior Class" by Charles Glass. Raven 23 "returned defensive fire" and withdrew from Nisour Square with one of its BearCat vehicles in tow. "On what basis did Trump depend on to release them? Blackwater was founded by Erik Prince, whose sister, Betsy DeVos, was appointed Trumps education secretary. If it is determined that one person was complicit in the wrongdoing, we would support accountability in that. The massacre resulted in the deaths of 17 unarmed Iraqis and wounded at least 20 others. [42] A spokesman stated that the ban would last for the duration of the investigation, and that it would not be permanent. [8][98] A White House statement said the men had a "long history of service to the nation" as veterans of the US Armed Forces, and that there was strong support for the pardons from the public and elected officials. hide caption. The other three guards faced decades in prison; the weapons charges carried a minimum 30-year sentence under a law enacted during the 1990s cocaine epidemic. A rocket grenade was fired into the car next to him. The civil lawsuit was filed as a wrongful death and personal injury suit against the men and companies responsible for my clients losses. Pepe Escobar (@RealPepeEscobar) March 1, 2022. The ones who were killed on the street were shot running for their lives. He despised Saddam Hussein and his oppressive and vindictive ways. [26][27], On September 27, 2007, The New York Times reported that during the chaotic incident at Nisour Square, one member of the Blackwater security team continued to fire on civilians despite urgent cease-fire calls from colleagues. [54], Radio logs released in December 2008 seemed to affirm that the guards had been responding to an attack on September 16. [66] Howard Krongard, who was appointed Inspector General of the U.S. State Department in 2005,[67] resigned in December 2007 after he was accused by the House Oversight Committee of improperly interfering with investigations into the Blackwater Baghdad shootings. We are taking fire from insurgents and Iraqi police. The U.N. Human Rights Office says it's "deeply concerned" by the pardons. Who would be responsible for the myopic and vindictive policy of providing anti-aircraft munitions to Ukraines irregular militias once Kyiv falls and those MANPADS are found in black markets posing a grave risk to civilian airlines across the globe? Majid Al Kareem was 51 years old when he was shot. As he was leaving, his youngest son, who was affectionately given the nickname Alawi, asked to go with his father. [37], Henry Waxman, the chair of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, which held hearings on the use of Private Security Contractors in February 2007, said his committee would hold hearings "to understand what has happened and the extent of the damage to U.S. security interests". The fire has since been extinguished after the plant was captured by Russian troops and no radiation leakage has been detected. [48] According to Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice promised a "fair and transparent" investigation into the incident. "I'm really shocked. Machine gunfire would cause his lifeless body to shake in his pool of blood. [19] The three justifiable killings were those of the two passengers in the white Kia sedan and an unidentified Iraqi nearby. It was chaotic. Trump pardons ex-campaign aide and disgraced Republican lawmakers, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. Five were charged with 14 counts of manslaughter, 20 counts of attempted manslaughter and a weapons violation: Donald Ball, a former Marine from West Valley City, Utah; Dustin Heard, a former Marine from Knoxville, Tennessee; Evan Liberty, a former Marine from Rochester, New Hampshire; Nicholas Slatten, a former army sergeant from Sparta, Tennessee, and Paul Slough, an army veteran from Keller, Texas. However, the company was allowed to continue to operate in Iraq until January 2009 when the U.S.Iraq Status of Forces Agreement took effect. When the first indictments were dismissed on New Years Eve in 2009, they were told that the prosecutions would continue. Dark Truth Exposed: East Palestine Rail Disaster, BOAC 707 Sabotage, Why people should start business in Lithuania, Best Strategy To Play Online Baccarat Games, Effects of Incontinence in Various Areas of Life, Conversations from the porch Episode 19 with Jack Heart &, Covert Operations In Vietnam: The Incomplete History of US-Norway Collaboration. U.S. military reports appear to corroborate the Iraqi government's contention that Blackwater was at fault in the incident. [43], The Private Security Company Association of Iraq, in a document last updated on July 3, 2007, listed Blackwater as not having a license to operate in Iraq despite their attempts to apply for one. The Kia continued to roll forward after the driver was killed, according to an eyewitness, and Raven 23 continued to fire on it, killing the passenger (the driver's mother); eventually, the Kia was struck by a grenade and was incinerated. The U.S. legal system, a pillar of fairness in the world, had worked. Witnesses described how the American men ambushed the civilians unprovoked, firing on Baghdad's Nisour Square with heavy gunfire and grenade launchers. The Iraqi government condemned the pardons, with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs saying in a statement late on Wednesday that it would follow up with the U.S. through diplomatic channels to urge a reconsideration. Boslego also said the attack had a negative effect on our mission, [an] adverse effect It made our relationship with the Iraqis in general more strained.. Prosecutors argued the men did not face hostile gunfire when they began shooting, and continued to shoot despite the lack of threats. Defence lawyers argued their clients returned fire after being ambushed by Iraqi insurgents. Six of my Blackwater brethren contractors are on the helicopter going to Tikrit. [80], On April 22, 2011, after closed-door testimony, a federal appeals-court panel revived the Justice Department's prosecution of the former Blackwater Worldwide guards by reinstating the manslaughter charges against the five men. [6][85][86] Jurors sided with prosecutors' contention that the shooting was a criminal act, not a battlefield encounter gone wrong. [33], Three Blackwater guards who witnessed the incident later said that they believed the shootings were unjustified. He thought they had been given a miracle after he saw so many others killed. As Mohammed held his sons hand, he convulsed and died in the back of the ambulance. Despite the public display of uncharacteristic valor by sporting military fatigues and flaunting images and video clips of soldiers proudly standing beside caches of MANPADS and Javelins on social media, Ukraines conscript army was so frightened following Russias military intervention that it wanted to surrender territory and opted instead for mounting guerrilla warfare by adopting hit-and-run tactics from the safety of border regions of Poland and Romania. Are they going to release me?". For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. The Nisour Square massacre was the FBIs most comprehensive and expensive criminal investigation since 9/11. After it was added, defense attorneys contended a 30-year sentence would be too severe, since the law was intended to deter gang members from carrying automatic weapons. [26][27] A U.S. Army convoy arrived at 12:39p.m., backed by air cover, to escort TST 22 back to the Green Zone. [14], On October 13, 2007, the FBI reported that it had concluded that at least 14 of the 17 Iraqis who died in the square had been killed without cause. Likewise, the civil case ran through North Carolina state court, was removed to federal court, and then sent back to state court. [21]:116, During opening arguments for a criminal trial held in 2014, defense lawyers representing former Blackwater members of Raven 23 argued the men felt the approaching Kia was a credible threat as a possible car bomb, and opened fire in self-defense. [97], On December 22, 2020, U.S. President Donald Trump granted full presidential pardons to Slatten, Slough, Liberty, and Heard. [15] The incident sparked at least five investigations, including one from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. "The ministry believes that this decision did not take into account the seriousness of the crime committed and was inconsistent with the U.S. administration's declared commitment to the values of human rights, justice, and the rule of law, and regrettably ignores the dignity of the victims," it said. It was as if someone had targeted the area in his SUV where a persons head would have been. [54] He served one tour in Iraq before being hired as a Personal Security Specialist in Iraq. Free shipping for many products! A former security guard working for US mercenary firm Blackwater has been found guilty of murder for his role in a notorious massacre of unarmed civilians in downtown Baghdad in 2007. Russias reluctant and delayed military intervention in Ukraine is fundamentally a war of power projection, a shot across the bow to perfidious former allies, the East European states, whove been joining the EU and NATO in droves since the break-up of Soviet Union in 1991, that the collective security of Eurasian nations is a shared responsibility, and NATOs eastward expansion along Russias western flank not only imperils the security of resurgent Russia but also compromises the balance of power in the multipolar world. He was shot in the abdomen. [6][86] Bringing the weapons charges was disputed within the Justice Department, which initially opposed including them in the indictment. Adela Sulimanis a London-based reporter for NBC News Digital. The four were convicted at then VP Joe Biden's insistence, and were serving jail terms. Four Blackwater security guards convicted in 2014 of carrying out a massacre of Iraqi civilians, sparking an international outcry over the use of mercenaries in war . The Nisour Square massacre was the FBI's most comprehensive and expensive criminal investigation since 9/11. "Today we were surprised that the American president issued a decision to pardon these criminals, murderers and thugs," Salman said, speaking from Baghdad. A caption at the bottom of the screen states . [12] On October 4, 2007, the U.S. House passed a bill that would make all private contractors working in Iraq and other combat zones subject to the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act[65] Sarah Holewinski, Washington director at Human Rights Watch, said Trump's pardons were an insult to justice, "but it's also an insult to the victims. Nicholas Slatten, 35, was a former security guard at the private US military firm Blackwater and was based in Baghdad. For those of you who are not aware, Erik Prince (Blackwater/Academi) personally sold to the CIA the concept of a mercenary army to conduct hybrid war ops and/or crypto-guerrilla war against Russia. "The victims' families finally saw some measure of justice when these men were convicted in 2014 and sentenced to prison. Blackwater has been renamed and falls under the Constellis group of companies, a risk management business formed in 2010. Russian-American political scientist Malek Dudakov called the shooting a landmark event and a major international scandal. [36] Several Iraqi and American investigations have been conducted into the incident. A federal district court judge sentenced four former Blackwater Worldwide mercenaries to lengthy prison terms on Monday for their role in the Nisour Square massacre in Baghdad, Iraq in 2007. [25][31], The account by the Blackwater firm differed from the Iraqi government's account; Blackwater's account stated the driver of the Kia sedan had kept driving toward the convoy, ignoring verbal orders, hand signals, and water bottles thrown at the car, and continued to approach even when fired upon. Hussein Saheb Nasser, 35, told NBC News by telephone from his home in Baghdad on Wednesday. It was not an easy path in either the civil or criminal legal system. Justice Blackwater mercenary sentenced to life in prison On Wednesday, Slatten was sentenced to life in federal prison for initiating a massacre that left 14 Iraqi civilians dead. Blackwater mercenaries in helicopters also fired into traffic from overhead. Supporters of the former contractors at Blackwater Worldwide had lobbied for the pardons, arguing that the men had been excessively punished. [59] (The Protocol makes no distinction between defensive and offensive actions, but the U.S. does make such a distinction, in that it does not regard defensive actions by security guards to be combat. The committee was co-chaired by Abd al Qadir, the Iraqi Minister of Defense, and Patricia A. Butenis, the Charg d'affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Iraq.

Forest Hill Cemetery Find A Grave, Sell Axs Tickets On Ticketmaster, Wrong Date Of Birth On Holiday Booking Tui, Articles B